Quotes About Strategy

the winning of battles does not necessarily lead to conquest,

The doctrine of "exit strategy" fundamentally misunderstands the nature of war and, more generally, the nature of historical action. for the knowledge of the end is not given to us at the beginning.

I don't get involved in record label politics.

stratification is developed and used throughout the book. This strategy has three elements: First, as often as possible, I place data in a historical and cross-national context. This information leads to important questions. For example, if the rate of poverty has fallen

To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.

Two things are necessary for great achievement: a plan and not quite enough time.

I'm planning a catastrophe.

The poor can break out of their situation of oppression only by working out a strategy better able to change social conditions: the strategy of liberation. In liberation, the oppressed come together, come to understand their situation through the process of conscientization,3 discover the causes of their oppression, organize themselves into movements, and act in a coordinated fashion.

Most important, perhaps there was a way to do so without browbeating or scolding, or mounting a soapbox. Perhaps he could get them without their knowing they were got. If he could only find the way.

The wise man waits and his enemies tear each other to pieces

Remember: a clever woman never lets a man know how cleaver she is

Machiavelli himself famously put it: "All armed prophets have conquered, and unarmed prophets have come to grief."9

I think we need to recognize that Americans are realistic, and they're not going to rally around a change they don't believe has any hope of being achieved. So you could either say, "Let's give up," or you can say, "What is the kind of change -- the kind of strategy -- that could actually have an effect?" And how do you convince America of that strategy? That's ultimately the challenge here.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.

The grim fact is that we prepare for war like precocious giants, and for peace like retarded pygmies.

The fact is that we prepare for war like giants, and for peace like pygmies.

Sometimes in politics one must duel with skunks, but no one should be fool enough to allow the skunks to choose the weapons.

Republicans are having trouble luring Gov. Chris Christie into the presidential race. They should try pie.

The Order seemed to adhere to the principle of suckers walk, players ride.

Their little dance was like the endgame of a disastrously bloody chess match, just a queen chasing a beleaguered king around an empty board, sadistically refusing to checkmate.

Kildall, the innovator, followed his passion for technical excellence and was shocked that IBM wouldn't follow him. Gates, the imitator, took his cues from IBM every step of the way, because he believed that following Big Blue was the smartest way to follow the money.

find the field that interests you the most, work with the biggest and richest player willing to partner with you, and then do everything you can to help that big, rich partner succeed.

It is so hard to make important decisions that we have a great urge to reduce them to rules.

One of the things we urge Y-Combinator companies to do is to have profitability in grasp. If you need to get profitable before your A round of money, you ought to be able to do that.